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Today we are going to take on the two best gaming graphics cards that are currently available on the market. It’s gonna be a clash between the Nvidia RTX 2080Ti vs 2080 Super to resolve a simple question: Which one of these is a better buy and why?
Don’t give me wrong, everyone already knows that the 2080Ti is faster and more powerful, but is it that much better to justify the enormous price difference?
Before we start the evaluation process, lets first go over the specs of each card individually to see the difference on paper.
For today’s comparison, we’ve picked graphics cards which we have already tested and reviewed before in this article – feel free to check it out if you are currently looking for a new graphics card and need a hand with picking the right one.
Anyways, lets get to the point. The GPUs we are gonna be comparing are the MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING X TRIO – one of the best performing GPUs you can currently get and the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GAMING OC 8G – the finest version of the 2080 Super from the GIGABYTE’S factory:
Graphics Card MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING X TRIO 11G GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GAMING OC 8G CUDA Cores 4352 3072 Base Clock / Boost Clock 1350 MHz / 1755 MHz 1650 MHz / 1845 MHz Memory Speed 14000 MHz 15500 MHz Memory Capacity 11GB GDDR6 8GB GDDR6 Memory Bus 352-bit 256-bit Power Consumption 350W 280W Transistor Count 18.6 billion 13.6 billioin Rating Price
Spec Comparison
If we take a look at the specs and start comparing the raw numbers, the obvious thing that plays in favor of the 2080Ti is the better overall memory with higher capacity and bandwidth, which has a decent impact on the overall performance – With higher capacity the GPU becomes faster for a reason of being able to store more data on its VRAM. Higher bandwidth helps with sending and receiving bigger amounts of data in a single clock cycle.
Then we can see the 2080ti has roughly 1300 more CUDA cores. How does that add to the performance in real life? If you’re not familiar with CUDA cores, let me explain. CUDA cores are responsible for processing all the data that is fed to the GPU, meaning they are also responsible for game graphics calculations. Having more of them results into a faster data processing and ultimately, better performance.
One thing that might have thrown you off when going through the spec, if you are already familiar with these cards, is the power consumption. Both manufacturers claim the graphics cards draw less than we’ve stated in the table above. During our testing earlier this year, we measured 350W and 280W tops with the 2080ti and 2080 Super, respectively, which is noticeably more than the card manufacturers claim. That’s just goes to show that reading a review or two before purchasing is never a bad idea.
As you’ve probably already known, the dominance of the 2080ti on the paper is pretty significant, but that doesn’t mean anything until someone puts these cards head-to-head in the exact same setup with the exact same conditions and puts them to a test to actually see whether or not is the substantial increase in price appropriate.
And that’s exactly what we have done. Let’s see the results.
Gaming Performance
There is no better way of comparing two graphics cards than simply putting them into the same setup and play some of the most demanding games to see which one does better. We already know the 2080ti will do better, obviously, but as we mentioned before, we want to see if its worth the beating you’re wallet is going to get if you opt for it.
We wanted to make sure nothing is going to hold back the graphics cards so we can see what they are capable off. That’s why we’ve put together this setup:
- Motherboard: MSI MPG X570 Gaming PRO Carbon
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
- RAM: G.Skill 16GB kit DDR4 3200MHz
- SSD: Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB
- Monitor: 27″ Acer XB273K Pbmiphzx Predator
- Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA Gold 850 G2
We chose 5 gaming titles which can be classified as a good stress test for our graphics cards: Battlefield V, Crysis 3, GTA V, Tomb Raider and Fall Out 4
Here are the results:
Battlefield V (3840×2160), DX12, Ultra
- 2080Ti: 93 FPS
- 2080 Super: 82 FPS
- Difference: 12%
Crysis 3 (3840×2160) Very High
- 2080Ti: 71 FPS
- 2080 Super: 59 FPS
- Difference: 17%
Grand Theft Auto V (3840×2160), Very High
- 2080Ti: 92 FPS
- 2080 Super: 85 FPS
- Difference: 8%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (3840×2160), Very High
- 2080Ti: 63 FPS
- 2080 Super: 52 FPS
- Difference: 17%
Fall Out 4 (3840×2160) Ultra
- 2080Ti: 81 FPS
- 2080 Super: 70 FPS
- Difference: 14%
Conclusion
As you can see there is a noticeable difference between the two of these in terms of in game performance. However, it is nowhere near the point you would expect it to be, considering the difference in price.
The 2080Ti managed to outperform the 2080 Super by 13,6% more FPS on average, which compared with the 40% price difference is simply not good enough and we can’t see anyone choosing it over the 2080 Super, since the extra money you will spend are just not worth it in terms of gaming performance. You will be much better off just upgrading you’re rig in others, more reasonable ways.
Yes, the 2080Ti is still the best graphics card for 4k gaming, but unless AMD won’t come up with some competition for the 2080Ti and 2080 Super GPUs, which would result in more competitive prices, the 2080Ti will still remain as an option for only a few of us.
Bottom Line
With all that being said, if you are looking for a graphics card for gaming purposes only, do yourself and you’re wallet a favor and go with the 2080 Super (GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GAMING OC 8G is a very good option), since it offers a performance very close to the 2080Ti (MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING X TRIO in this case) and you will also save a big chunk of money to use elsewhere on you’re setup.
If you want to see how well do other graphics cards stand against the two of these, or you are just looking for a new graphics card, make sure to check out our Best Graphics Cards 2020 List. It will help you choose the right graphics card for you’re gaming rig.
If you have any questions or you just want to share you’re experiences or thoughts, feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I will be more than happy to help you out.
Cheers!
Richard
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